Scapa Flow scuttling descendants sought

A search is on to find descendants of the victims of the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet in Orkney for centenary commemorations.

Orkney Islands Council wants the relatives to become involved in a programme of events to mark the momentous event in Scapa Flow.

The hunt has now spread to Germany.

The deliberate sinking of the vessels on June 21, 1919, remains one of the greatest losses of shipping vessels ever recorded in a single day.

One hundred years later, commemorations will be held on Midsummer’s Day to remember the 15 German lives lost as a result of the internment and scuttling of the fleet.

A programme of community events held around the time of the anniversary will reveal the historical significance of the scuttling and mark its impact and continued legacy in Orkney.

The events in 1919 were witnessed by a large group of school children from Stromness, who were on an outing in Scapa Flow aboard a local vessel, the Flying Kestrel.

Antony Mottershead, arts officer with Orkney Islands Council, said: “We are working with partners in Germany to see if we are able to identify and contact any descendants of the 15 sailors who sadly lost their lives.

“Closer to home, we would like to hear from descendants of the children who were aboard the Flying Kestrel or have a close family connection to the events that unfolded that day.”

Following the end of WW1, Germany had to surrender most of its naval vessels as part of the Armistice agreement.

A total of 74 ships from the German High Seas Fleet arrived in Scapa Flow for internment.

On June 21, 1919, acting under the mistaken belief that peace talks had failed, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter gave the command to scuttle the entire fleet, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the British and Allied forces.

A total of 50 ships went to the seafloor. Many were later brought to the surface again during one of the most remarkable salvage operations ever attempted at sea.

Those that remain on the seabed attract divers from worldwide keen to explore the wrecked vessels.

The scuttling was described as the “single greatest act of naval suicide the world has ever seen” and the scuttling remains one of the greatest loss of shipping ever recorded in a single day.

At 120 square miles, Scapa Flow is one of the world’s largest natural harbours and the sea around Orkney has one of the largest concentrations of shipwrecks anywhere.

Top diver Rod Macdonald, who wrote the seminal bible to the wrecks, says of the scuttling in Dive Scapa Flow: “It was, and still is, the single greatest act of naval suicide the world has ever seen.”

He says that many of the once proud ships are disappearing with the ravages of time.